SIOP Lesson Plan Template 3

Topic:

Class:
Science

3rd grade

Content Objectives:
SWBAT demonstrate why the sun, planets and stars
appear to move across the sky using their bodies to
create a model of this process in groups.

Key Vocabulary:
Rotate, revolve, constellations, axis
sun, moon, stars, Earth

Date:
12/3/14
Language Objectives:
Language Objective 2: SWBAT explain the movement of
the Earth and how it relates to the apparent movement of
the sun, other planets and stars using scientific language
(e.g. rotate, revolve, constellations).

Materials:
Tennis ball, ping pong ball, globe, print outs of words along with pictures
of constellations, Science journals, pencils, magazines for cutting pictures
out.
These materials give students visual and hands-on experience to help create
background knowledge and conceptualize knowledge. These materials are
particularly helpful for Els because they allow students to see a visual
representation of real-world objects in order to make the content more
comprehensible.

Higher Order Questions:

1. Why do the planets and stars appear to move across the night sky?
2. What relationship does the Earth revolving around the sun have with what we see in our stars?
Previous to this lesson, students will have described the Earth and Moon, including their shape, function, and
physical differences. Students have talked about the motions of Earth and how it revolves on an axis around the sun.
Following the lesson, students will keep record of the daily moon phases and a discussion will follow that shows how
the Earth rotates every 24 hours to produce day and night, as well as the 28 day cycle of the moon phases.
Objectives will be written on the board and will be read and explained to the students before the start of the lesson

Time:
5 min.

Activities
Building Background: As a warm-up activity, the following question will be written on the board at
the start of the lesson:
Think about a time you have been outside at night. Have you ever looked up at the stars and planets?
Describe what you see in the night sky.
Think-Pair-Share:
Think back to when we talked about the motions of the Earth. What are the two motions of the Earth?
(rotation and revolution)
-Share with a partner
-Share with the class
After having students think back, we will review the vocabulary they had used in previous lessons and
introduce new vocabulary (model and constellations). The teacher will help explain how the rotations
and revolutions previously discussed affect which constellations are seen in the sky.
We will then have students create a shared experience where they get to become the Earth and rotate to
see different constellations. We will have them stop after a quarter of a rotation and think about what
they are seeing and how this might look different from the next one. This will help all students have a
shared experience that will create background knowledge for the lesson.
Key Vocabulary: Rotate, revolve, constellations, axis sun, moon, stars, Earth
These words will written on a word wall with a student-friendly definition and an accompanying
picture. They will be introduced at the beginning and re-taught and reviewed throughout the lesson as
they come up. Students will say and repeat the word multiple times, come up with an action, and see
real-world examples. Students will be invited to share any translations to other languages.

Part 1:
1. Students will first be instructed to stand and observe the various constellations posted around the
walls of the classroom. Students will slowly rotate a quarter of the way and teacher will have them stop
to think about what they are seeing and how it might be different than the next one. They can rotate a
few times by themselves if they want. Questions to prompt thinking may include: a. What do you
notice about the constellations? b. What is moving: the sky, the Earth or the constellations?
Students will be given one minute of think time before they are put into groups to share their thoughts.
The goal of these questions are to get students thinking about the movement of the Earth and what
effect that has on the apparent movement of other objects in the sky.
3. Students will then be assigned to groups of three where each person is either the Earth, Sun, or
Moon. In these groups, they will share their observations of what constellations they saw and how they
think it relates to the Earths movement. (They are answering the questions above that they were just
asked to think about. The questions will be written board. These will be their groups for the activity
preceding).
4. After giving a few minutes to discuss in groups, a few groups will be asked to share aloud with the
class.
Part 2:
5. Next, in these new groups, students will demonstrate how the Earth revolves around the sun and the
moon around the Earth. To help students see these relationships, the teacher will model the rotations
first with objects at the front of the classroom (a globe, tennis balls, and ping pong balls could be used
or we could have printouts of each one).
6. After modeling, students will act out the rotating and revolutions in groups, being asked to pay
particular attention to how this might look from our perspective on the Earth in relation to the galaxy.
7. Students will have five minutes to debrief either in groups or as a class discussion.
Part 3:
8. As a class, students will share some of their ideas and we will write some sentences using sentence
stems on the board. Teacher will use teacher talk to model the process of writing in order to provide
scaffolding and examples.
9. Following this discussion, students will be expected to write in their science journals using scientific
language to describe why the stars and planets seem to be moving across the sky and why the Earth
revolving around the sun affects what stars we see?
Sentence starters will be provided for students who need extra support. (e.g. Planets and stars appear
to move across the night sky because, The Earths revolution around the sun affects stars and planets
we see because...) Those who are not able to write can draw pictures to help explain what they want to
say.
10. Following the journal entry, the teacher will revisit the objectives to assess whether or not students
are confident they were met. Students will be asked specific questions that we have already gone over
and will give a thumbs up or a thumbs down depending on the answer to the question. For example:
The constellations are moving in the sky. If you think this is correct put your thumbs up and if you
think this is not correct put your thumbs down. The Earth rotates which makes the stars look like they
are moving. Thumbs up or thumbs down.
Formative assessments:

I will be walking around to assess the ideas being talked

about in groups. I will also be able to formatively assess

based on the answers they share out with the class.
During modeling, teacher will walk around to observe
whether or not students are able to demonstrate the
movement of the Earth for appearances of the stars
moving in the sky. To make sure they understand the
larger concept, the teacher will analyze their scientific
journal of the explanation they gave as to why this is
happening.
Teacher will be able to assess whether or not both
content and language objectives were met. Students
will be asked certain questions to assess understanding
of the objectives following the journal portion.